Compressor



Patented July 3, 1951 COMPRESSOR Ralph W. Docg, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Nash- Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of YMaryland Application February 28, 1946, Serial No. 650,851

Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to compressors employed in such apparatus.

One of the objects Aof my invention is to provide a compressor with an improved inlet valve arrangement which is efficient and one which operates with a minimum of wear of the reed valve due to flexing, and permits operation with little, if any, audible sound.

Another object of my invention is to provide a refrigerant compressor in which the valve assembly has a plurality of inlet ports and a relatively thin resilient reed valve cooperating with said inlet ports with limited flexing of the reed valve.

Another object of my invention is to provide a reed valve for controlling the flow of intake gas to a compression chamber and to limit the flexing of said reed valve by securing opposite ex-tremities of the reed valve so that only limited flexing can take place and also to limit movement of said reed intermediate its extremities to further limit the flexing thereof.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a refrigerant compressor having an extremely thin reed valve that has an extension cooperating with a recess in the compressor block for limiting the flexing of said reed valve while controlling the flow of gaseous refrigerant to the compression chamber.

Further objects and advantages of the -present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in cross section of a compressor vembodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a View taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

liig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the valve proper in engagement with the upper part of the compressor cylinder block.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 20 designates a compressor unit of the type employed `in refr-iger-ating systems. The compressor includes a cylinder block 30 having a compression chamber -32 in which piston 33 reciprocates. vSecured to cylinder block 30 is a cylinder head 36 and valve plate 40 which is interposed between the cylinder head 36 and cylinder block 30. Gaskets 42 and 44 are placed between cylinder head, valve plate and cylinder block, respectively.

Provided in the valve plate 40 are a plurality of inlet ports 50 which have narrow valve seats 54 and outlet ports 58 which have narrow valve seats 60. An inlet refrigerant chamber 64 and an outlet refrigerant chamber 66 are provided in cylinder head 36. An inlet valve 68 of thin resilient reed stock controls inlet ports 50 and is secured by pins l0 passing through apertures 13 and 14 in valve 68. Pins l0 extend into cylinder block 30 and valve plate 40. Preferably, the reed valve is approximately .006 of an inch in thickness. Aperture 14 is elongated or oval shaped so as to allow free lateral movement of the reed valve 68. A discharge valve assembly 16 coopera-tes with discharge ports 58 for controlling the flow of discharge gas from cylinder 32. Preferably the discharge valve 'i6 is like the valve shown in my Patent No. 2,372,938 issued April 3, 1945, and further description herein is deemed unnecessary. While only one discharge port 58 is shown herein there are two such ports formed in the valve plate as disclosed in the aforesaid patent.

The operation of my new inlet valve mechanism is as follows. Upon the suction stroke of piston 33 a differential in pressure exists between gaseous refrigerant in inlet chamber 64 and the compression chamber 32, actuating and flexing the thin reed valve 68 to a limited degree. The flexing of valve 68 is limited by the extended portion 83 of said reed valve. The extended portion extends into a recess 85 in cylinder block 30 and when the valve is flexed the portion 83 contacts the cylinder block thus allowing only a limited movement of the reed valve away from the intake ports. IAt this time the gaseous refrigerant flows into the compression chamber 32 through the .inlet .por-ts 50. It should be noted that the pins 10 lpassing through opening I3 and elongated opening 14 in said reed valve permits limited movement of said valve during operation. Gasket 44 is of slightly greater thickness than valve 63 thereby .permitting the valve 68 to slide between block 30 Aand plate 40. The limited movement is equal to the extent that opening 14 is larger than the pin 'l0 which extends through the opening. The compression stroke of piston 3,3 compresses gaseous refrigerant tending to flex reed valve '68 into inlet ports 50 but since a plurality of small inlet ports Vare provided this flexing is relatively small as compared to a larger single port. The compressed gaseous refrigerant, upon reaching a predetermined pressure, actuates discharge valve assembly 16 allowing passage of compressed gaseous refrigerant through discharge ports 58 into the discharge chamber 66. The compressed gaseous refrigerant then flows through a fitting 8l into conduit 90 and into a condenser to be liqueed. The condensed refrigerant is then conveyed to an evaporator by small diameter or capillary tube H0. From the evaporator the gaseous refrigerant is conducted to compressor inlet chamber 64 by conduit '|20 and an inlet passage |25. The gaseous refrigerant is then admitted to the compression chamber 32 through valve ports 50 and the above cycle is repeated.

From the foregoing it will be noted that I have provided a relatively long and narrow resilient reed valve for controlling the ow of gaseous refrigerant into a refrigerant compressor cylinder. This valve is unusually thin becaues it extends across .and controls the ow of intake gas through two intake ports. By this arrangement two relatively small ports may be used instead of one larger port having the same cross-sectional area to thus permit the proper amount of gas to enter the compression chamber the same as though a single larger port were used. Accordingly, the reed may be thinner when extending over the two small ports than if it extended over arsingle larger port. This thin reed is not flexed unduly on the compression stroke because the ports are so small in size that the reed valve does not flex into the ports nearly as far as a reed of same thickness would flex into a single larger port. Undue exing reduces the life of the Valve and accordingly a thicker reed is used when a single port of larger diameter is used. A thicker reed causes more noise and for this reason also it is objectionable.

It will also be noted that I have limited the exing ofthe reed valve so as to insure longl life and to insure quietness of operation. This'is accomplished by securing the extremities of the reed valve to the cylinder block in such a manner that the reed can be flexed only to a limited degree. Also, the reed valve flexing is limited by an extension between the extremities of the valve, which extension limits the flexing by engaging the cylinder block, thus permitting the reed to be deected to a limited degree only.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of theV invention or from the scope of the appending claims.

I claim: Y

1. In a compressor, means forming a compression chamber, a pair of ports communicating with said chamber, an elongated laterally flexible valve Y controlling said pair of ports, said valve longitusaid chamber, an elongated laterally flexible valve controlling said pair of ports, said valve longitudinally spanning and overlying said ports having end portions extending respectively therebeyond, means attaching said valve at one of its end portions to said rst means holding the valve against displacement in the plane of said ports, guide means on said other end portion and on said rst means attaching the other of said end portions to said rst means and at the same time limiting lateral flexing movement of said valve, and a laterally extending stop member on said valve between the end portions thereof engageable with cooperating stop means on said rst means to limit flexing movement of said valve.

3. In a compressor, a cylinder block member having a piston cylinder, a valve plate member forming a compression chamber with said cylinder, a pair of laterally positioned ports in said valve plate member for said chamber, a flexible elongated valve'of thin sheet material controlling both of said ports, said valve having one side overlying and longitudinally spanning said ports and having end portions extending respectively beyond said ports, means attaching said valve at one of said end portions to one of said members to hold said valve against movement in the plane of said port openings, a stop pin attached to one of said members on the other side of said ports from said means, and a guideway on the other of said valve end portions elongated longitudinally thereof .and receiving said stop pin to restrain lateral movement of said other end p0rtion.

4. A compressor valve member formed of thin iiexible sheet material comprising, an intermediate valve portion elongated for spanning and intermediate valve portion for limiting iiexing movement thereof.

5. A compressor valve member formed of thin flexible sheet material comprising, an intermediate valve'portionto span and control a plurality of ports, an anchoring end portion, a movable andY opposite end portion, a guideA on said opposite end portion, and a stop member carried by and extending laterally from said intermediate valve portion.

RALPH W. DOEG.

REFERENCES CITED The followingV references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNrrED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 796,983 Bemis 'Aug. 1,5, 1905 1,276,478 Bechtold Aug. 20, 1918 1,299,761 Nelson Apr. 8, 1919 1,476,794 Berry Dec. 11, 1923 1,667,143 De Luiz et al Apr. 24, 1928 1,770,273 Keema July 8, 1930 1,807,029 Dunning May 26, 1931 1,834,038 Summers Dec. 1, 1931 2,118,356 Money May 24,1938 Y2,176,691 lSimons oct. v17, 1939; 2,372,938

Doeg Apr. 3, 1945 

